ASK IRA: Is Dwyane Wade the Heat's backup point guard?

Q: Isn't backup point guard the perfect role for Dwyane Wade? He needs to be on the ball. -- Felipe.

A: It is, if this roster allows. Friday, for example Dwyane had to enter alongside Goran Dragic amid early foul trouble for Rodney McGruder. And that was after Justise Winslow opened the game as a primary ballhandler. I'm not sure, with this roster, if anyone can stay on the ball very long, considering how Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Winslow and Dragic all have a degree of need for the ball. For now, amid all the injuries, it is convenient to have Dwayne available for such an assignment. The issue is then having someone else on the court to defend fleet opposing point guards, an assignment that Dwyane has aged out of. It is, however, becoming more apparent that when Wade enters with the second unit alongside Tyler Johnson, it will be Wade on the ball. Tyler would appear to be an emergency point guard, perhaps as spot starter in games Dragic would miss,

Q: Ira, like I wrote to you before about free agents that aren't coming here, Kyrie Irving has already announced he's re-signing with Boston. This is a waste of time and season if we don't dump salaries for whatever at this point. We aren't getting Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, etc., etc. Go into the draft, do your homework, and build that way. -- Marcus, Washington.

A: First, anything a player says nine months before free agency hardly is binding (not that the Heat ever had the wherewithal for Kyrie this coming summer). But I also believe that future cap space is overstated, because for every team that lands a star, many more are left empty-handed, reduced to the Carlos Boozers of the process. But as long as the Heat insist on a non-tanking approach, the draft is going to produce Bam Adebayo-level talent. I believe the Heat is what it mostly has been during the Pat Riley era, a team that works its way through trades. The real issue is that Riley's "chips" lately have had limited appeal. It's not about spending -- or not spending -- money. It's about spending it in the right places.

Q: What is going on with Tyler Johnston? I mean he’s regressed so badly. And Erik Spoelstra keeps sticking him in the lineup. Why? I don’t know if he's grown content with his money, but he doesn’t look there at all. I don't get why he’s still in the rotation. -- Matthew.

A: Which leads to the "Ira Asks Ira" question of whether Rodney McGruder could actually move ahead of Tyler in the rotation. I believe Erik Spoelstra would be comfortable with that, but am not sure about a front office with such a $19 million commitment. What I will say for Tyler is that the commitment and effort are there. This has nothing to do with growing fat on salary. Whether he has maxed out as a player might be another story.